Consumer paper products such as facial tissue, bath tissue and paper wipers are generally used to absorb liquids and fluids. Such paper products are predominantly formed of cellulosic papermaking fibers by manufacturing techniques designed specifically to produce several important properties. For example, the products should have good bulk, a soft feel, and should be highly absorbent. Further, the products should also have a pleasant aesthetic appearance and should be resilient against delamination in the environment in which they are used.
In the past, many attempts have been made to enhance certain physical properties of such products. For instance, to enhance the aesthetic appearance, a decorative paper product was created by embossing a pattern onto one or both sides of the paper web during manufacturing. This standard mechanical embossing resulted in the deformation or breaking of fibers in an attempt to physically press the pattern into the web. In some applications, the resulting embossed patterns were not well-defined and faded as the paper product aged. Thus, a need exists for an improved decorative paper product with a clear and resilient embossed pattern.
Further, a variety of approaches have been employed over the years in an attempt to improve the bonding properties between multiple plies of paper products. One approach includes applying an adhesive between the plies before passing the paper web through a nip under pressure. Another approach includes using paper plies having different creping characteristics to form a bonded paper product with fiber entanglement. Although these processes provide suitable multi-ply paper products, delamination between the plies still occurs. Therefore, a need also exists for improved bonding between multiple plies of paper products.